NAQS Recruitment Shortlist 2026: Agency Releases List, Fixes CBT For August 20
The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has released its recruitment shortlist and scheduled the Computer-Based Test (CBT) to begin on Thursday, August 20, 2026, allowing applicants to check the status of their applications for the agency’s ongoing recruitment exercise.
The update was contained in a notice signed by NAQS’s Director of Human Resources, ACG Issaka Ahmed, and posted on the agency’s X handle on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. According to the notice, “The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service wishes to inform all applicants and members of the public that the status of applications is now available for checking on the official recruitment portal, recruitment.naqs.gov.ng.”
Applicants can check their status through the official recruitment portal using their registered details, specifically their Application Number and National Identification Number (NIN). NAQS said applicants whose status indicates progression to the next stage should prepare for the Computer-Based Test, stating, “Applicants whose status indicates progression to the next stage are hereby notified to prepare for the Computer-Based Test (CBT), which will hold online via the recruitment portal from Thursday, 20th August 2026.”
The agency clarified that further details on the exact schedule for individual applicants would be communicated directly to them through their registered email addresses, rather than through the general public notice. NAQS therefore urged candidates whose status shows progression to regularly monitor their registered email accounts and ensure they retain access to the address used during registration. The agency also cautioned applicants to “remain vigilant and rely only on official information” from NAQS, an apparent effort to guard against scammers exploiting the high-stakes recruitment process.
The latest announcement follows NAQS’s earlier postponement of the release of the recruitment shortlist, which had initially been scheduled for August 13, 2026. The agency had attributed that postponement to the need to ensure a thorough, transparent and accurate recruitment process, a delay that also pushed back the originally planned CBT screening date of August 15.
The scale of interest in the recruitment exercise has been considerable. The exercise opened on July 28 and closed on August 10, 2026, during which time over 606,000 people attempted to apply, with around 407,000 applications successfully submitted through the portal, underscoring the intense competition for available positions within the agency.
NAQS, which is responsible for regulating the importation and exportation of agricultural produce and safeguarding Nigeria’s agricultural sector from pests and diseases, has not yet disclosed the total number of vacancies available or the specific roles being filled under this recruitment cycle. As of the time of filing, the agency had not released further details on the structure or duration of the CBT exercise beyond confirming its August 20 commencement date, with candidates expected to receive further updates via their registered emails in the coming days.
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